Three hundred years of Palmyrene history. Unlocking archaeological data for studying past societal transformations

While archaeological sciences have made great advances over the last decades through combining archaeological evidence and natural sciences in order to push borders for the understanding of archaeological contexts, traditional archaeology still holds an immense latent potential. Such potential can be realized through baseline projects that pull together unexplored bodies of material culture and study these in detail in order to investigate their significance for the understanding of the human past. This paper presents such a large-scale baseline study and focuses on the presentation of the results emerging from the recently compiled corpus of more than 3700 funerary portraits stemming from one location in the ancient world, Roman Palmyra, an oasis city in the Syrian Desert. The analysis of the chronological development of the numerous portraits allows us to follow the fluctuations in the production of these portraits over approximately 300 years. Here we discuss and review the developments in connection with historical sources and discuss until now unknown events, which have emerged through the data analysis. The paper brings to the forefront the significance of social science baseline projects, which often do not receive enough attention or funding, but which in fact are fundamental for furthering our understanding of the human past and push borders for the directions in which we can take such studies in the future.

Virtual Reality from the Standpoint of Complexity Science

An extended approach to the comprehension of virtual reality is developed in the article. Virtual reality is understood not only as a logically possible or cybernetically constructed reality but also as continuous turbulence of potencies of the complex natural and social world we live in, the wandering of complex systems and organizations over a field of possibilities, such a realization of forms and structures in which many formations remain in latent, potential forms, and are in the permanent process of making and multiplying a spectrum of possibilities, lead to the growth of the evolutionary tree of paths of development. It is shown that such an understanding of virtual reality corresponds to concepts and notions developed in the modern science of complexity. The most significant concepts are considered, such as the nonlinearity of time, the relationship of space and time, the uncertainty of the past and the openness of the future, the choice and construction of the future at the moments of passing the bifurcation points. Some cultural and historical prototypes of these modern ideas of virtual reality are given. It is substantiated that the vision of virtual reality being developed today can play the role of a heuristic tool for understanding the functioning and stimulation of human creativity.

Tourism Development and Exchequer's Encouragment

Despite the arguments against the development of tourism a large number of positive aspects can be noticed in favour of tourism development. The data presented in this paper substantiates the need for development of tourism in India. It is observed that the yields emanated from this sector percolate to every corner of the economy and society starting from advanced cities to hamlets. As a result it leads to balanced and inclusive growth. To tap the latent potential of the tourism sector, it is necessary to make integrated efforts from all corners of the economy. One such effort focussed in this paper, has been initiated by the Indian Tax System. The system has designed various special provisions to motivate the sector, but they are scattered in various Acts. The knowledge of these provisions facilitate a sound tax planning. This paper makes an attempt to put important tax provisions, relating to different players in the tourism sector scattered in various tax laws, in one place to provide a basic understanding. It concludes that the sops offered by the exchequer are inadequate looking at the needs of the industry. This sector is a cash-cow. Its yields outweigh the sops and efforts. Hence, this sector needs focused attention from the policy makers.

Beyond Representation in Virtual Reality: The Abstract Art of Jane Hamill and Kevin Mack

Where VR is largely associated with a dependency of realist imagery, the award-winning visual effects professional, Kevin Mack and oil painter Jane Hamill use VR to produce abstract works. Abstract art and early abstract film reveal the importance of such experimentation to each medium's latent potential and how those early oddities, in due course, enter the mainstream. I examine Mack and Hamill's respective works to propose that experimenting with abstraction in virtual reality is crucial to its unfolding as a creative medium.

The Changing Landscapes of Ankara: A Critical Ground for Integrative Urban and Landscape Development

This article offers a critical reading of the changing landscapes of Ankara, exposing the still existing potential for framing integrative urban strategy-making. Ankara has undergone intense urban expansion since the 1950s, and like other cities, it is still dealing with large scale construction/destruction engendering dramatic landscape loss in various contexts and scales. Although change in the landscape is typical of urbanization, nature and landscape were largely undervalued in the implementation of urban development strategies in Ankara. Contradicting per capita green space policies, the well-structured urban landscape, including both natural and planned/designed landscapes from the Republican Period were fragmented and reduced. Valleys creating corridors for fresh air and offering a reserve for agriculture were engulfed by squatter houses, then by new housing projects; streams, defining a blue infrastructure accompanied by fertile lands were partially covered over or canalized. Furthermore, the landscape heritage of the early Republican Period, which played a key role in the modernization of societal and urban life, was also undervalued, while the urban park system has been diminished. This article identifies representative examples of fragmentation and loss of the landscape fabric, as well as the latent potential of the landscape to articulate a sustainability agenda for Ankara

The Changing landscapes of Ankara

This article offers a critical reading of the changing landscapes of Ankara, exposing the still existing potential for framing integrative urban strategy-making. Ankara has undergone intense urban expansion since the 1950s, and like other cities, it is still dealing with large scale construction/destruction engendering dramatic landscape loss in various contexts and scales. Although change in the landscape is typical of urbanization, nature and landscape were largely undervalued in the implementation of urban development strategies in Ankara. Contradicting per capita green space policies, the well-structured urban landscape, including both natural and planned/designed landscapes from the Republican Period were fragmented and reduced. Valleys creating corridors for fresh air and offering a reserve for agriculture were engulfed by squatter houses, then by new housing projects; streams, defining a blue infrastructure accompanied by fertile lands were partially covered over or canalized. Furthermore, the landscape heritage of the early Republican Period, which played a key role in the modernization of societal and urban life, was also undervalued, while the urban park system has been diminished. This article identifies representative examples of fragmentation and loss of the landscape fabric, as well as the latent potential of the landscape to articulate a sustainability agenda for Ankara

Using Case Technology and Project Method in the Process of Studying Professionally Oriented Disciplines

The article presents a lapidary analysis of possibilities of using the case method and the project method in the formation of professional thinking of students studying philology and journalism. We also consider the possibilities of using case technology and project method in the process of studying professionally oriented disciplines. The practical significance of the work comes down to disclosing the effectiveness of the case method and the method of projects in the process of forming professional skills. The relevance of this article is determined by modern realities of educational process at the university. The case method and the method of projects make it possible to increase the motivational component of learning and contribute to the development of teachers’ progressive thinking and students’ creative potential, both of which are necessary for professional activities. In this article we also made an attempt at revealing the essence of these methods in the educational process at bachelor’s level. They turned out to be the main methods for the formation of students’ universal and professional competencies. The project method and case method act as an integral factor in the gamification of educational process contributing to the formation of skills of expedient action, activation of thinking, instilling the skills of independent search for solutions in standard and non-standard situations that may come up in the course of professional activity. Students actively and productively master the necessary competencies while revealing their latent potential. The case method and the project method demonstrate great efficiency in improving the quality of personnel training; the specific types of their practical implementation are developed jointly during classes by university teachers and employers’ representatives. The purpose of the article is to determine the methodological potential of the case method and the method of projects in the formation of professional thinking of future philologists and journalists and to consider the possibilities of using case technology and the project method in the process of studying professionally oriented disciplines. The project method is a relevant and effective technology that significantly increases the level of mastery of educational material, the internal motivation of students and their independence. The case method initiates the development of professional thinking, independence, unconventional thinking and creativity. When faced with a formulated problem, students concentrate on finding a solution to the problem and the teacher’s skillful interpretation of the problem directs students to search for non-standard ways. Everything mentioned above leads to the development of integrative thinking and significantly expands students’ capabilities. The practice of working with the case method and the project method in the classroom confirms their effectiveness in the professional development of university students, expanding their professional horizons and the formation of professional thinking.

Nature of human intelligence

Humankind faces many problems like terrorism, crime, the collapse of the family unit, drug abuse, war, theft, etc. I did this multidisciplinary research to find whether there are primary and common psychological reasons or not. So, I have discovered some fundamental factors that are significantly limited or revers of the human intelligence by some decisions making and those limitations might be due to activating of delusional thoughts and decisions which are declined of intelligence, mainly cause by psychological mind viruses (MV) in them, as I hypothesis, here. Those issues are impacting optimal living, psychological, physical, and social well-being. So, better practical solutions and preventive methods are needed. The leading psychological limiting factors for intelligence development are known as MV and its' remedies are healthy mind viruses (HMV). Intelligent learning, training (meditation), and Intelligent decisions might evolve the nature of the brain, nurture, and X-ultra quantum conscious particle genome (X-UQCPG), all these six factors seem to be interdepended. The X-UQCPG might bond with the X-ultra quantum unique conscious particle (X-UQUCP). However, the X- UQUCP might never evolve or change and it might maintain the uniqueness of the conscious state of a person. The X-UQCPG helps to evolve the latent potential level of well-being and optimal living gradually of the related person. Here, I show the unearthed core of early Buddhist teachings, training (meditation), and decisions inclusive of the 8-fold path may be an efficient methodology for Intelligence evolution. The evolution of nature, nurture, X-UQCPG, psychological well-being, and intelligence might be represented in a theoretical 3D graph. If life after death occurs, when clinical death of a person's finally evolved level, and micro quantum key of the X- UQCPG (+X- UQCUP) might be crucial to natural transmission to bond with a matching and vacant zygote/early embryo of its X-ultra quantum particles and its new conscious state, might depend on the lastly evolve genome of the X- UQCPG. However, there are many more mysterious issues to be solved in future researches, so this might not be a theory of everything on the central theme.

Transcriptional profiling reveals signatures of latent developmental potential in Arabidopsis stomatal lineage ground cells

In many developmental contexts, cell lineages have variable or flexible potency to self-renew. What drives a cell to exit from a proliferative state and begin differentiation, or to retain the capacity to divide days or years later is not clear. Here we exploit the mixed potential of the stomatal lineage ground cell (SLGC) in the Arabidopsis leaf epidermis as a model to explore how cells might balance potential to differentiate with a reentry into proliferation. By generating transcriptomes of fluorescence-activated cell sorting-isolated populations that combinatorically define SLGCs and integrating these data with other stomatal lineage datasets, we find that SLGCs appear poised between proliferation and endoreduplication. Furthermore, we found the RNA polymerase II-related mediator complex interactor DEK and the transcription factor MYB16 accumulate differentially in the stomatal lineage and influence the extent of cell proliferation during leaf development. These findings suggest that SLGC latent potential is maintained by poising of the cell cycle machinery, as well as general and site-specific gene-expression regulators.

Courage Under Fire

This chapter highlights the fateful moment of the Gaokao itself, investigating the important role of attitude and composure in examination success. It shows how head teachers personify an educational contradiction, both helping children to overcome their deficits in cultural capital and encouraging them to take individual responsibility for their examination results. It also considers the relationship between knowledge and attitude, elaborating how the capriciousness of attitude is accounted for. The chapter cites Gaokao observers that commonly remark how top students can choke on the exam, whereas dark horses can tap into their latent potential to surge from behind. It elaborates how the Gaokao assesses the diligent accumulation of knowledge and the less tangible aspects of character, particularly testing the ability of students to maintain composure and mental flexibility in the face of high pressure.